Unexpectedly
by Areyl
Summary: Tori Vega lands a supporting role on a new TV sitcom, where she will be co-starring alongside her old high school friend, Beck Oliver. But as the two friends become closer, old feelings are rekindled. All the while, Tori and Beck are faced with a whirlwind of paparazzi rumors and show biz drama that threaten to tear them apart. Can they endure life's unexpected curve balls? Bori.
1. Chapter One: Like Old Times

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from _Victorious_.

_So this idea came to me recently. I was a little hesitant about posting it up at first because I don't usually like having two stories in progress at the same time. But in the end, I decided to just run with it and see what happens. I hope you guys like it!_

* * *

**Chapter One: Like Old Times**

Tori Vega anxiously sat in her chair, stealing a glance at the clock that hung on the wall for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last half hour. Just fifteen minutes more. With a resolute sigh, Tori pulled out her earphones and started playing some music from her new pear phone XT3. She leaned back in her chair and looked around at the other people in the room, wondering if any one of them were as nervous as she was.

This wasn't her first callback. Tori had earned coveted lead roles in several plays and musicals throughout college, and had even performed with a local band in downtown night clubs and restaurants from time to time. After graduating, she hired an agent who quickly helped her land a few roles as extras on primetime TV shows. Just last week, she got a call from her agent about a casting call for an upcoming sitcom that was to air on the major television network _SceneTV._ Tori promptly auditioned for the supporting role as one of the main characters' best friend in a stunning performance that apparently left the casting panel wanting more.

The song had changed. Tori smiled fondly upon recognizing it as one written by Jade West, who was beginning to make a quite name for herself as an up-and-coming singer and songwriter for the band Nevermore. It had been months since they last talked and Tori soon found herself wondering what her old high school friends were up to nowadays. She was still in constant contact with Cat and Andre, who always updated her on every major event in their lives, significant or otherwise. Just a few days ago, Cat had called Tori on the verge of tears after finding her cat, Mimi, lying in a shredded nest of her latest costume designs. But as for the rest of the gang, Tori had regrettably lost touch with them over the years, especially when everyone had started to get busy with college and, more recently, their careers.

After some time, Tori looked up to see a young intern enter the room with a clipboard in her hand.

"Tori Vega?" the intern called.

Tori shot out of her seat, barely able to contain her nerves.

"That's me!" she called back, hastily pulling the earphones out of her ears.

Tori followed the intern down a long corridor lined with promotional ads and photographs from popular shows that aired on _SceneTV._ The closer they got to their destination, the faster Tori's heart raced. _Okay, Vega, deep breaths, _she thought to herself, quickly running through the breathing exercises she had learned in a theater class in college. No matter how many times she had done this, Tori always seemed to have a horrible case of the butterflies right before an audition or major performance.

Soon enough, the intern came to a halting stop and turned to Tori with a perfunctory smile.

"Good luck," she said as she opened the door to the audition room.

* * *

Tori stepped into the room to see a panel of five people huddled before a table, discussing some important matter in hushed tones. They seemed completely unaware of her presence, leaving Tori to stand awkwardly in the middle of the room not knowing whether to speak up. Just then, the door swung open and an unexpected surprise walked into the room.

"Beck?" exclaimed Tori as genuine smile spread over her face.

"Tori?" Beck said in an equally astonished manner.

Before they knew what they were doing, the two friends quickly pulled each other into a tight embrace.

"What are you doing here?" Tori asked, trying to keep her voice down as to not disturb the panel.

Beck gave a warm smile. "I'm here for the reading."

Tori faltered. "You mean I'm doing a reading with you?"

"Yup," he replied with a nod. "I got one of the lead roles."

"Beck, that's great! Congratulations!"

It was too late by the time Tori realized how loud her display of excitement was. She and Beck had already caught the attention of the casting panel, who were all gazing at her with questioning expressions.

"Who are you?" asked a man with steely eyes and a mustache.

"Tori Vega, sir," she replied, slightly embarrassed. "I'm here for the callback."

"Oh right, Tori Vega." The man narrowed his eyes at her in a scrutinizing manner. "I remember you and those cheekbones from last week."

"Um…thanks," said Tori, though she was unsure if he actually meant to compliment her or not.

After a brief moment, the man pulled out a script and handed it to Tori. The lines for her scene were already highlighted and she was instructed to take a few minutes to review the lines before reading it aloud with Beck.

"So let me just set the scene here for you, Miss Vega," the man said as he leaned back in his chair. "You're playing Thea. She's best friends with Noah, who'll be played by our very own Beck Oliver over here. Thea is pretty much a Mother Theresa do-gooder who just came back from being in India for four months teaching kids English, and Noah is picking her up from the airport. You got all that?"

Tori glanced over at Beck before answering and the two exchanged knowing smiles.

"Yeah," she calmly replied. "I think I got it."

* * *

It was the smoothest reading Tori had done in a long time. From the get-go, Tori and Beck established chemistry between their characters that looked and felt real and natural. It was, in fact, very real and natural. For the two reunited friends, it almost felt like they were back in high school, running through a scene for Sikowitz's class. So convincing was their performance that the casting panel was rendered speechless by the end of the reading.

The man with the mustache cleared his throat and skimmed through Tori's portfolio one last time before addressing her.

"Thank you, Miss Vega," he said in an even tone. "That was an excellent performance. You'll be hearing from us in a day or two to let you know if you got the part."

"Thank you," Tori said, shaking the man's hand and retrieving her portfolio. "Hope it'll be good news."

Thinking that there was another callback after her, Tori simply waved goodbye to Beck and rushed out of the room. She had just stepped out into the hall when Beck suddenly appeared next to her and shut the door tightly behind them.

"You did great in there," he said with a broad grin.

"You too but–" Tori paused as her brow knitted in confusion. "What are you doing out here? Don't you have another reading to do?"

"I just wanted to see if you had any dinner plans tonight." He looked at her expectantly with his dark brown eyes. "We've got a lot of catching up to do, you know."

Tori laughed. "Well lucky for you, I'm completely free tonight."

"Great. How about you text me your address and I'll pick you up around seven?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Alright, I'd better get back." Beck flashed Tori a handsome smile before opening the door to the audition room. "See you tonight, Tor."

And with that, the door closed with an audible _click_ as Tori slowly made her way down the hall, away from the audition room. She looked back on everything that had just happened in the last hour and was rather surprised to feel an unwavering sense of calm about the whole audition. Maybe it helped having a familiar face in the room. Or maybe she genuinely felt confident in her performance this time around. Whatever the reason, this was the first time Tori felt so at ease about a performance since the heated break-up with her ex-boyfriend a few months back. And now she had dinner with Beck to look forward to tonight. _This is going to be a good day, _Tori thought to herself with a contented sigh.

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_Don't hesitate to review and let me know what you think. Thanks!_


	2. Chapter Two: Raise a Glass

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from _Victorious_.

_Thank you so much for all the positive reviews! It always gets me pumped when you guys are as excited about the story as I am. _

_Also, I wanted to give everyone an idea about what inspired the story. I'm a Vavan girl at heart, and I really wanted to write something that reflected the real-life friendship of Victoria Justice and Avan Jogia. _

_So anyway, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. Happy reading!_

* * *

**Chapter Two: Raise a Glass**

The door burst open as Tori rushed out of the bathroom with a cloud of steam trailing behind her. She glanced at the digital clock on her nightstand; it was already _6:45. _Beck was going to be here in fifteen minutes and she was nowhere near as ready has she had hoped to be.

"I knew I shouldn't have taken that nap," Tori vented as she slipped on a pair of dark-wash jeans and a sheer lace top.

Tori had a love-hate relationship with her afternoon naps. She love taking them; but she hated waking up from them and finding herself running late to meetings and planned outings. On the bright side, Tori was becoming quite an expert at getting ready within a twenty-minute time frame. As she hastily made her way to the standing mirror by her closet, she nearly tripped over a pair of high heels by the foot of her bed.

"Damn it," she cursed, kicking the ruby-red heels aside to clear the path. "Okay, mental note to self: clean my room this weekend."

Tori applied her make-up in the blink of an eye. And with three minutes to spare, she gathered her composure and carefully examined the contents in her purse to make sure that she had everything she needed for the evening. Lipstick, wallet, cell phone: check. The doorbell rang as if on cue just as she finished checking her purse.

She greeted Beck at the door and gestured for him to come inside. He held in hands a stunning bouquet of white roses that sat in an intricately-shaped teal vase, which he handed to Tori.

"What's this for?" Tori asked, taken aback by the thoughtful gift.

"Consider it a belated housewarming gift," Beck replied. "I saw your tweet a few months back about moving in to your new apartment. Sorry I couldn't make it to your party."

Tori waved her hand in a nonchalant manner. "Don't worry about it. I had to end it early anyway when the neighbors downstairs threatened to call the police on us."

She set the vase on the kitchen counter and then turned to Beck with a charming smile.

"Thank you. They're beautiful."

"Don't mention it," said Beck, smiling back. "Are you ready to go?"

Tori nodded and quickly grabbed her purse and pink jacket before joining Beck at the front door.

"Where are we going anyway?" she asked as they stepped out of the apartment.

"That's a surprise. You'll just have to wait until we get there."

Tori playfully narrowed her eyes at Beck. "This day just seems to be full of those, huh?"

* * *

The drive to the restaurant was much shorter than Tori had expected. The whole way there Tori and Beck had been so engrossed with listening to each other's personal stories that before she knew it, Beck was pulling into the parking lot behind the restaurant. Before getting out of the car, Beck pulled out his pear phone to make a call.

"Hey, Nick. It's Beck," he said. "Yeah, do you have that table ready? We just got here."

There was a brief pause as Tori gazed up at the illuminated sign above the building that read _Del Sur_.

"Great, thanks. See you in a bit."

Beck hung up and then turned to Tori, who gave him a questioning glance.

"I had to arrange for a private booth," Beck meekly explained. "Trust me. I love my fans, but it'll be hard to enjoy our dinner when there's an autograph line by our table."

Tori smiled understandingly; she was fully aware of Beck's rising star status. She found a lot of amusement in his occasional tweets about overly enthusiastic fans stopping him on the street or following him into the men's bathroom for a picture and autograph.

"So have you been here before?" asked Beck as they got out of the car.

"Nope, this is my first time," replied Tori.

"Well then, I hope you like Mexican."

Like a true gentleman, Beck held to his arm out to Tori, who laughed and encircled her arm with his. Then the two friends made their way into the restaurant through the back door for a nice evening of laughter and nostalgia.

* * *

_Del Sur _was an interesting mix of eclectic modernity and festive flair. The tables and chairs were of sleek contemporary design, and the walls and décor were splashed with bold colors like magenta, orange and purple. The lighting was soft and fairly dim to balance out the vibrant color scheme, while a band played lively music which evoked a warm inviting ambiance. Nick, who Beck spoke with on the phone, turned out to be their host for the evening. He led them to a secluded corner of the restaurant where a table was already set and waiting for them, careful to avoid any curious eyes of the customers up front.

"Thanks, Nick," Beck said, shaking the host's hand.

"Hey, anytime," Nick replied. He then turned to Tori with a sly smirk. "Watch out for this one. He's a charmer."

Tori faltered from the rather awkward implication. "Oh, we're just friends."

"My apologies then," Nick said, bowing slightly. "Anyway, here are your menus. I'll have a waiter come over in a little bit to take your orders."

As promised, a waiter came to their table just as Tori and Beck finished looking at their menus. He took down their orders and then came back in a matter of minutes with two glasses of ice-cold pink lemonade. While they waited, Beck turned his gaze on Tori as she took a sip of the restaurant's signature citrus drink.

"Wow," said Tori with a delightful smack of her lips. "That's fresh."

"Best lemonade in town."

Tori chuckled, remembering her friend's particular fondness for the citrus drink.

"Hey, let's make a toast," she suggested, picking up her glass. "Here's to old friends and hopefully a new hit show."

Tori and Beck _clinked _their glasses together. While they sipped their drinks, Beck never took his eyes off Tori and he soon found himself marveling at her beauty. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled beneath the warm glow of the pendant light that hung above their table. It had been a long time since he was awestruck by a girl like this before, much less Tori, and his mind slowly wandered back to the brief period in high school when he and Jade were broken up and he began to develop some tender feelings for Tori.

It was a couple of nights before the Platinum Music Awards. Beck had gone over to Tori's house to comfort his distressed friend and they had almost kissed. _Twice, _for that matter. But those feelings – whatever they were – had been short-lived and had quickly dissipated when Jade came back into his life. But tonight, within the intimate setting of the restaurant, Beck had to wonder if his feelings for Tori ever left at all.

"I think Martin was really impressed by your audition today," he said after a while, pushing aside his thoughts.

"Martin, the guy with the mustache?"

Beck nodded. "Yeah, he's the creator of the show. I've worked with him on a project before and he doesn't give out a lot of compliments. But when he does, it usually means something."

Before continuing, Beck leaned in closer and lowered his voice.

"I don't wanna get your hopes up, but I think you have pretty good shot at getting that part."

Tori blinked in disbelief. "That's sweet, Beck, but I don't wanna get my hopes up either. I'm just glad I got through the reading without choking on my lines."

"You need to give yourself more credit, Tor," Beck said with some seriousness in his tone. "How do you expect other people to believe in you if you can't believe in yourself?"

Tori was speechless. She had never thought about it that way before. Since the bitter break-up with her ex-boyfriend, Liam, her self-confidence had taken a nosedive, and Tori was just starting to pick herself back up. Sometimes she forgot just how badly she was selling herself short. Beck was right; she deserved to give herself more credit.

After some time, the waiter returned with their orders. All the food was spread out in a colorful array and the savory aroma of their meal soon wafted around the table. Beck had ordered braised pork chops topped with chipotle-wine sauce and black beans, and Tori had ordered a grilled chicken breast topped with poblano cream-sauce and yellow rice.

"So have you talked to the others in a while?" asked Beck after a few delectable bites of the pork chop.

"Cat and Andre mostly," explained Tori. "Robbie, every now and then. But I actually haven't heard from him since he went to study aboard in London."

Just then, Tori stopped cutting her chicken and looked up from her plate with an eager expression.

"Did you know that Cat and Robbie are going out?"

Beck faltered, unsure if he had hard Tori correctly. "Really? How's Rex taking it?"

Tori laughed airily, which made Beck's heart nearly skip a beat.

"I'm serious!" she exclaimed, giving him a little nudge. "It'll be their one-year anniversary next month."

Beck simply ran his hand through his hair, still unable to believe the news. Tori watched him for a moment and found herself catching her breath. His hair had gotten longer since she last saw him a year and a half ago, but it was still as gorgeous as ever. _He _was still as gorgeous as ever.

"What about you?" she quietly asked, mentally scolding herself for staring. "Do you still keep in touch with anyone?"

"I had lunch with Jade a few months ago when she was in town visiting."

This caught Tori by surprise. As far as she knew, Beck and Jade's tumultuous on-again-off-again relationship had ended on a very bad note the summer before they left for college. Then there was a time towards the end of their freshman year when they had decided to give it one last shot, but to no avail. At that point, Beck and Jade had realized that they had grown apart and there was no longer any room for reconciliation.

Beck grinned upon noticing the perplexed expression on Tori's face.

"It was good. It gave us a chance to talk and get closure on some things."

A sincere smile spread over Tori's lips. "Good for you guys! Does this mean no more awkward reunions?"

"Guess we'll see in the next get-together," Beck jokingly replied.

* * *

After dinner, Beck drove Tori back to her apartment and walked her to her door. He watched as she dug through her purse for her keys, feeling – to his surprise – slightly disappointed that the night was ending.

"Aha!" Tori exclaimed, jangling her keys in triumph. "It's so hard being a girl sometimes."

In one swift motion, Tori wrapped her arms around Beck's neck and pulled him into a hug. Beck gladly followed her lead and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Thanks for dinner, Beck. I had a great time."

"Don't be a stranger," he said as Tori pulled away. "I only live a few blocks away, so feel free to come by anytime."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said as she inserted her key into the lock. "Goodnight, Beck."

"Goodnight, Tori."

With a gentle smile, Tori locked eyes with Beck one last time before walking into her apartment and closing the door.

* * *

_Please be kind and review. Thank you!_


	3. Chapter Three: Snapshot

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from _Victorious_.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Snapshot**

Rain clouds had started to gather overhead as Tori hurriedly sped through metropolitan traffic in her sporty blue coupe. Two days had passed since Tori's callback audition and she still hadn't heard a word from the casting office or her agent. It was making her a little antsy to say the least, but she was determined stay optimistic until she received word of the final decision. She glanced at the clock on her dashboard and cursed under her breath upon seeing the time.

"Trina's going to kill me," she said as she made a right turn to take an alternate and hopefully less congested route.

Tori was making her way across the city to her older sister's town house that she shared with her fiancé and nine-month old daughter. Yes, fiancé _and _daughter. The last two years of Trina's life had taken a pretty eventful turn, and even though Tori was a first-hand witness to everything that had happened, she still found it hard to believe that Trina was raising a child and planning a wedding. Nevertheless, she was happy for her sister and even happier to have two new additions to the family.

Tori finally pulled into the driveway of Trina's town house with a few minutes to spare. With a sigh of relief, she briskly walked up the front steps and rang the doorbell. In a matter of seconds, the door swung open and Tori was greeted by Trina's ruggedly handsome fiancé.

"Hi, Adam," greeted Tori as she stepped through the threshold.

"Made it just in time." He shot her a playful smirk. "Didn't hit anything on the way, did you?"

Tori rolled her eyes, knowing he was referring to the time she had almost ran over the neighbor's dog.

"No, I actually got here without wreaking havoc today."

"Too bad. That damn dog kept us up all night."

The two shared a laugh as they made their way into the living room where Trina and Adam's daughter, Sophia, was laying in her playpen. Tori bent over and waved to her niece, who cooed and kicked with delight.

"I can't believe how big you're getting, Sofia!" Tori exclaimed. "And I can see you like the attention. You get that from your mom."

Just then, a voice called from the other room.

"Tori, is that you?"

Trina walked in looking stunning in a white chiffon dress and gold heels. Shortly after giving birth to Sophia, Trina had gotten to work on shedding the baby weight with early morning walks and frequent visits to the gym. Now, one can hardly tell that just nine months ago, she was nearly the size of a hot air balloon.

"Did you hit the neighbor's dog on the way here?" Trina asked as she put on a pair of dangling earrings.

"No, not today, babe," Adam replied for Tori. "She decided to be a good driver today."

Trina pursed her lips with disappointment. "Darn. That dog didn't shut up all night."

"Okay, you two are sick people," Tori jumped in, her gaze moving from Trina to Adam and back.

While Adam went to finish getting ready, Trina took Sophia out of the playpen and the two of them joined Tori on the couch. As Trina playfully bounced her daughter up and down on her knee, Sophia laughed and squealed, making the two sisters laugh with her.

"So, how did your callback go?" Trina asked after a while.

"Good, I think. Beck said it was good."

"Beck was there?"

"Yeah, he's playing one of the lead roles. I did a reading with him."

Trina's eyes widened with surprise. "Wow, that's great. So if you get this part, you two will be working together."

"_If _I get this part. I was supposed to hear back from them today, but I haven't gotten any calls yet."

"Well, you know if _I_ had auditioned for that part, they wouldn't have had a choice _but _to cast me," Trina said, her voice thick with self-importance. "Isn't that right, babe?"

"They would make you the star of the show, sweetheart," Adam casually replied as he strode into the room.

Tori watched the couple in amusement, secretly envying the sweetness of their relationship. Tori knew that Trina had to make a huge sacrifice by putting her career and dreams on hold to raise Sophia. It had taken Trina a while to come to terms with the reality of her situation, but Adam had been understanding and supportive through the whole ordeal. He was, in many ways, a perfect match for Trina, balancing out her craziness with his cool and grounded personality. Though Trina's sacrifice was great, having Adam and Sophia in her life made it all worthwhile.

"Okay," Trina said, giving Sophia an onslaught of kisses before handing her to Tori. "You have our cell numbers and the number to the restaurant is on the fridge. We should be back by ten."

"Thanks again for doing this, Tori," Adam said with an appreciative smile. "We haven't had a chance to go out like this in months."

Tori smiled back. "Don't mention it. You guys just have fun on your date night."

Once Trina and Adam left, Tori pulled out some toys and books for Sophia to play with, hoping to keep the infant distracted from the fact that her parents were no longer in the house. Tori's well-intended efforts, however, were futile. After an incredibly messy diaper change and almost two hours of crying, fussing and hair-pulling, Tori finally managed to rock Sophia to sleep. She laid the baby down in her playpen and, with a long-winded sigh, fell back on the couch and began flipping through channels on the TV. She eventually landed on the hit show _Word on the Street, _which always updated on the latest celebrity news and gossip. The host of the show Gail McPherson was currently reporting on the most recent cheating scandal by Hollywood starlet Kristi Stevens.

All of a sudden, Tori's pear phone rang causing her to jerk in surprise. She hastily dug through her bag to find the phone, hoping to answer the call before it woke up Sophia.

"Hello?" Tori said, trying to keep her voice low. A strange mixture of calm and worry suddenly hit Tori when she heard her agent's voice on the other line. "Hey, Pauline! I'm glad you called."

Pauline had some news, though Tori couldn't tell from the tone of her voice if they were good or bad. A part of her didn't want to ask, but Tori knew there was no avoiding it.

"So what's the verdict?"

It took Tori nearly a whole minute to register the following words that came out of Pauline's mouth: _you got the part._

"You…I…me–" Tori stammered, feeling an overwhelming sense of joy course through her veins.

Still fully aware of Sophia's presence in the room, Tori hopped off the couch, ran into the guest room, and shut the door behind her. She then let out a long triumphant scream before promptly returning to the living room, calm, cool and collected.

"Pauline, you have no idea how happy I am right now," Tori said, still unable to believe her luck. "Thank you so much. Yeah, I'll call you tomorrow. Bye!"

Tori suppressed an elated squeal as she sank into the couch in contented bliss. At length, Tori pulled out her phone again, wanting to share the good news with someone. Beck was the first person that came to mind. She texted him and then turned her attention back to the TV while she waited for a response. Not even five minutes later, her phone sounded, alerting her of a new message.

_Beck: Congratulations, Tori! I knew you could do it._

_ Tori: Thanks, Beck :-). I guess this means we'll be working together._

_ Beck: At least now I'll have something to look forward to when I go to work ;-). _

Tori read over Beck's last text message a second time and felt a stirring of emotions deep within her that she couldn't quite explain. But before she could put anymore thought into the subtext of his message, Tori looked up and saw an oddly familiar image displayed on the TV screen. She picked up the remote and turned up the volume just enough to hear what Gail McPherson was saying.

"It seems like romance is in the air for up-and-coming Hollywood heartthrob Beck Oliver. Here is a snapshot of him and a mysterious young brunette having dinner at the exquisite downtown restaurant _Del Sur. _This picture was taken just two days ago by another patron who recognized the young actor. The picture has gone viral ever since and, no doubt, causing hearts to break all across the nation."

Tori narrowed her eyes and carefully scrutinized the image. Though it was blurry and unclear, she could easily make out Beck in the picture. Tori's face, however, was partly obstructed by the table's centerpiece. That, combined with the hazy lighting, made her almost unrecognizable.

Tori lowered the volume on the TV just as Gail McPherson was finishing her report. She leaned back on the couch and gazed thoughtfully up at the ceiling, wondering how anyone could come up with such a ridiculous story. Though she found it mostly amusing, a part of her felt somewhat unsettled about how fast the rumor had spread. Deciding that it was probably best not to overanalyze it, Tori picked up her phone and texted Beck.

_Tori: Have you heard the news? Apparently, romance is in the air for rising star Beck Oliver and the "mysterious young brunette" he had dinner with the other night._

_ Beck: Lol. Is that what they're saying?_

_ Tori: Yeah. Should we set the story straight before it gets out of hand?_

_ Beck: Nah, let them think what they wanna think. That's how Hollywood works. Better get used to it, Tor :-P._

* * *

_Please take a few minutes to write a review. Trust me, it doesn't take as long as writing a chapter ;-). Thank you!_


	4. Chapter Four: A Bump in the Road

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from _Victorious_.

_I've really enjoyed reading everyone's reviews, and some of them have even made me laugh. So thank you! You guys always put a smile on my face :-)._

_Anyway, here's the new chapter. Happy reading!_

* * *

**Chapter Four: A Bump in the Road**

The next two weeks passed like a hectic whirlwind before Tori's eyes. Soon after being given her role in the new sitcom, Tori was moved into the next phase of the production, which included a table-read of the script with the rest of the cast and wardrobe fittings. Once the set was built, the cast was brought into the studio for rehearsals, and then the filming of the first three episodes before a live audience began. The work schedule kept her constantly busy, but Tori was loving every minute of it.

The sitcom, titled _On the Bright Side, _was set to have eleven episodes for its first season. It followed the story of journalist Noah Theler who gets the surprise of his life when he moves to New York City for a job offer and finds out that the neighbor who lives across from him is his ex-girlfriend, Riley Sullivan. Tori had been impressed with the line-up of celebrities that had come onboard for the project. Among them was Tony Renwick, a popular stand-up comedian who was playing the part of Noah's balding, no-nonsense boss. Actor and model Zac Petersen was also in the cast, signed on for ten of the eleven episodes as Riley's star hockey-player boyfriend. And then there was the beautiful and talented Quinn Scanlon, best known for her breakthrough performance in the indie film _The Looking Glass_, playing the other lead role as Riley Sullivan.

After another long day of filming, Tori retired to her dressing room to get ready to leave. It was eight-thirty on the dot and her stomach had been growling for the past hour, demanding to be fed. As she was putting away the last of her things in her tote bag, she suddenly heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," she called, already knowing who it was.

"Are you ready to go?" Beck asked as he entered.

"Yeah, just give me a minute," Tori said, scanning the room one last time.

The rigorous work schedule meant that Tori and Beck were seeing more and more of each other. Not that either one of them minded. They were already carpooling together, eating lunch together, and hanging out in each other's dressing rooms which, ironically enough were right next to each other. It was like being in Hollywood Arts all over again.

"Man, what a day," Tori said as she got into Beck's car. "I didn't think I was going to get through that last scene. Zac was making me laugh so much."

Beck smiled in agreement. "Yeah, I didn't expect him to be so funny when I first met him."

On the drive home, they sat in comfortable silence as they both relished the peace after a long day filled with bustling commotion. From time to time, Tori would steal a glance at Beck, who was quietly humming along with the song playing on the radio. Old feelings had started to resurface in the past few days. Feelings that went as far back as high school that she thought had been resolved a long time ago. It confused her to say the least. Beck was her _friend. _That point had been made painfully clear when Beck chose to reconcile with Jade all those years go. Tori could hardly blame him though. She was the one who had pushed him away, insisting on being a loyal friend to Jade. Did he even feel the same way about her after all this time?

"Are you doing anything tomorrow night?" Beck asked, breaking Tori from her thoughts.

He turned to her then, catching Tori off guard as she quickly darted her eyes away. Thankfully the darkness in the car would make it hard for Beck to see the incriminating blush of embarrassment on her face.

She took a quick breath before replying, "Yeah, sure. What's up?"

"Keith Rice is having a gallery show downtown tomorrow at eight and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me."

"The famous urban artist Keith Rice?" Tori asked in a tone of astonishment.

Beck nodded and replied, "That's the one."

"Oh my god, I love his work! Yeah, I'll go with you."

"Great," Beck said with an affable smile. "Then it's a date."

The color quickly rushed back to Tori's face. She knew that Beck didn't mean an actual _date, _but somehow, a small part of her almost wished that he did.

* * *

The following evening, the doorbell rang at seven-fifteen on the dot. Beck was always prompt, and for once, Tori had given herself ample time to get ready and gussy up. She took a quick glimpse at herself in the hallway mirror before putting on a smile and opening the door.

"Hey, Beck," she said as she stepped outside.

"Hey yourself," Beck coolly replied, looking sharp in a dark grey blazer and light blue dress shirt.

He suddenly found it hard to look away when he saw Tori donned in a stunning purple one-shoulder cocktail dress. _Get a hold of yourself, Oliver, _he thought as he mentally scolded himself for staring. After all, it was just going to be a friendly evening between two friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

Beck escorted Tori to their ride, which – to her surprise – was a luxury SUV from a private transportation service that Beck's agent had booked for the night.

"Wow," Tori gasped as she climbed into the SUV. "What's with the fancy car?"

"My agent figured we could use a fancy car for a fancy event," Beck replied, scooting in next to her.

Tori was a little skeptical at first. She knew that Keith Rice was a big name in the Hollywood circuit, but just how fancy could a gallery show be? It wasn't until they arrived downtown and their SUV stopped before a frenzied crowd of paparazzi, did Tori realize the full scale of the event they were attending that night. Camera lights flashed in their eyes the minute they stepped out of the vehicle. Even the security guards seemed like no match for the voracious photographers. Beck wrapped his arm protectively around Tori as he led her down the carpeted path while a chorus of shouts called for their attention, demanding to take a quick photo. This would no doubt fire up the rumor mill with speculations about some hidden romance, but that was the last thing on their minds as they made a beeline for the entrance to the gallery.

At long last, they broke through the crowd and made it safely inside the main lobby. The whole gallery had a very classy contemporary feel to it. Keith Rice's artworks – sculptures and paintings of different medium – lined the perimeter of the room and sleek white sofas were placed in the center. Petite chandeliers with a waterfall of crystals hung from the ceiling. A cocktail bar sat in one corner of the room, while several servers were making rounds, offering appetizers and finger foods on shiny silver platters.

"Well look who made it here in one piece."

Tori and Beck turned to see Dylan Armstrong, host of the top-rated talent competition _Riff Off. _

"The paparazzi are a little crazy tonight, huh?" Beck said sarcastically as he shook the other man's hand.

Dylan laughed. "Dude they're crazy every night! I caught one guy hiding in my trash this past week. Thought he was homeless at first 'til I saw the five-hundred dollar camera gear."

Dylan then shifted his gaze to Tori and flashed a charming smile at her.

"Of course," he said teasingly. "Beck Oliver accompanied by a beautiful woman. Surprise, surprise."

"Dyl, this is Tori Vega," introduced Beck. "She's my co-star on that new show I'm working on."

"Hi," Tori greeted as she eagerly shook Dylan's hand. "I can't believe I'm actually meeting _the _Dylan Armstrong! I watch your show all the time."

"Fresh meat in the Hollywood market, I see," Dylan said with a knowing glance. It was quite easy to recognize enthusiasm of a first-timer to these kinds of events.

"Yeah, sort of," Tori said, smiling sheepishly.

"Well then you're in for a star-studded night, Miss Vega."

And, sure enough, Dylan Armstrong was right. The further it got into the evening, the more celebrities Tori met. People from top designers to Beverly Hills elite to popular TV show actors all came to see Keith Rice's gallery show, which also turned out to be a charity event for an anti-bullying campaign.

Throughout the evening, Beck stayed by Tori's side as he introduced her from one celebrity to another. Once in a while, however, an attractive model or actress would come by, batting her eyelashes and flirting shamelessly with Beck. He, in turn, would entertain them with a brief conversation in an attempt to be polite, though he was always aware of Tori's watchful presence nearby.

At one point, Tori took a seat on one of the white leather sofas and sipped on a cocktail drink as she was tired from standing in her heels all night. A few feet away, Beck was talking to a group of gawking girls in skin-tight dresses and four-inch stilettos. They were practically drooling with desire as they laughed at a joke he had made. Tori watched and wondered if she was capable of being that bold and forward, and suddenly she started to feel small and insignificant in light of the other girls' striking self-confidence.

* * *

By the end of the night, Tori had managed to successfully survive her first major Hollywood event. While leaving the gallery, Tori and Beck were bombarded again with paparazzi that were waiting outside the building like a pack of hungry sharks. Luckily, the photographers this time around weren't as aggressive as when they first arrived and Tori and Beck had even stopped to pose for a few pictures and answer some questions about their upcoming sitcom. On the ride home, however, Beck noticed that Tori was unusually quiet, making him wonder if something was wrong.

"So what did you think of the gallery show?" he asked, deciding to break the silence.

Tori blinked in surprise as her mind snapped back to reality.

"Oh, I loved it!" she said, forcing a smile. "I had a lot of fun meeting everyone. And all of Keith's pieces were just amazing."

Beck smiled back, though he wasn't quite convinced by Tori's enthusiasm. He had known her long enough to know when she was putting on an act.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he peered at her closely. "You seem a little out of it."

Tori shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm just tired."

That much was true. The eventful evening had unexpectedly left Tori feeling more drained than she had anticipated.

"Well, you can rest your head on my shoulder if you want," Beck offered. "We still have a while until we get to your apartment anyway."

After taking a moment to consider this, Tori eventually succumbed to her exhaustion and laid her head on Beck's shoulder. Almost immediately, they became astutely aware of their close proximity. Hoping to dispel the awkward tension between them, Tori decided that it was her turn to break the silence.

"So," she started reluctantly. "There sure were a lot of pretty girls dying to talk to you tonight..."

"Really?" Beck said jokingly. "I didn't notice."

He laughed, and Tori rolled her eyes incredulously and nudge him in the stomach with her elbow.

"I'm serious. Keith even said he might as well have put you in a display box and made you an interactive piece in his collection."

"Now you're making that up!" Beck said, laughing even harder.

"It's true!" Tori exclaimed as she started to laugh along with Beck.

"Yeah," Beck said once he was able to catch his breath. "Now that you mention it, there were a lot of beautiful girls there."

Tori felt her heart sink and all the laughter that she had in her just moments before seemed to die away. Just then, Beck shifted in his seat, prompting Tori to glance up and see him looking down at her with a particular look in his eyes. She instantly recognized it as the same look he had given her that night they had almost kissed in high school.

"But you know what?"

Beck's voice was just barely above a whisper.

"What?" Tori asked, unable to tear her eyes away from the gripping intensity in his gaze.

"I was lucky enough to leave with the most beautiful girl in the gallery tonight."

The world around them came to a halting standstill. It was as if they were both caught up in a spell they couldn't break and, before they knew it, their faces were only inches apart. Tori and Beck slowly closed their eyes and drew in closer. Just as their lips were about to meet, the SUV suddenly jerked as it passed over a speed bump, knocking them back to reality.

"Sorry!" the driver called from up front.

But it was too late; the spell had been broken. Tori and Beck inched away from each other, unwilling to confront the scenario that would've happened if the timely bump in the road hadn't interrupted them. Fortunately, the uncomfortable tension they had to endure was brief as they soon arrived at Tori's apartment. Beck offered to walk her to her door, but Tori kindly turned him down and climbed out of the SUV with a hasty farewell. With a crestfallen sigh, he watched as the front door closed behind Tori before prompting the driver to leave.

* * *

_Damn that speed bump, right? Lol, don't worry, guys. There's more Bori cuteness to come so just sit tight. But hey, while you're waiting, don't forget to leave a review! Thanks!_


	5. Chapter Five: Exes & Ohs

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from _Victorious_.

_Hey everyone! I'm back with a new chapter. I know you guys have been waiting on the edge of your seats for this, so I do apologize for the delay. Just know that I probably won't be able to post up new chapters as consistently as I did for the first four. I don't have any more chapters pre-written after this and I usually take my time writing them because the quality of my work is important to me. So just a heads-up. _

_Okay, enough of my babbling! Enjoy the story!_

* * *

**Chapter Five: Exes & Ohs**

Several weeks had passed since the night of gallery show. The discomfiting incident of that evening had left Tori more torn and confused, while Beck began to question if fate had cursed them to have these close encounters and never actually kiss. Nevertheless, they had both reached a mutual solution to the whole problem. As they had done in high school, the almost-kiss was to be swept under the rug and forgotten. Determined to handle the situation like mature adults, they continued their unassuming friendship as if nothing had ever happened. They continued to carpool to work together, eat lunch together, and occasionally hang out with each other, all while denying the feelings and desires that had rekindled deep within them.

Tori retired to her dressing room for some peace and quiet after an exhausting afternoon of filming. She had a particularly challenging scene today that involved some basic stunt work, and it had taken almost seven takes to shoot before the director was satisfied with the outcome. Lounging back on her small orange sofa, Tori grabbed a tabloid magazine from the side table and started skimming through it. Normally, she hated reading tabloid magazines because of their tendency to stretch the truth to unnecessary lengths. But this particular magazine immediately caught her eye for one simple reason: it featured a brief article about Beck's recent "lunch date" with professional dancer and choreographer Dani Royce. It was under the section titled _Sizzling Hollywood Hook-Ups _and included pictures of Beck and Dani out and about in the streets of L.A.

Tori had been so absorbed in the article that she didn't hear Quinn enter her dressing room, asking to borrow some hairspray.

"Hello! Earth to Tori!" Quinn called, trying to get the other girl's attention. "What the hell are you reading?"

Without warning, the blond-haired actress came up behind Tori and snatched the magazine from her hands.

Tori blinked in surprised and asked, "Quinn? What are you doing here?"

Her face instantly assumed the look of a criminal who had just been caught red-handed. Quinn's lips curled into a disapproving frown after she perused the magazine. She glanced up and arched an eyebrow at Tori, who attempted to mask her guilty expression with an innocent smile.

"Tori, babe," she said, tossing the magazine in a nearby trashcan. "Don't read that garbage. It'll just get you all worked up and paranoid for no reason."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tori denied with a hasty shrug. "Why would I be paranoid?"

Quinn placed her hands on hips and shot Tori an unconvinced look. Not only was Quinn extremely observant, she also had an uncanny ability to read people like a human lie detector (probably the result of having a CIA agent for a father).

"You can put on your little act for the rest of the cast, but you can't fool me Tori Vega. I've seen you and Beck look at each other like a pair of lovesick puppies."

Tori felt the color rush to her face as she quickly averted her friend's gaze. Quinn saw this and smirked triumphantly as she walked over to Tori's vanity table in search of a bottle of hairspray.

"So what's the story with you two anyway?" asked Quinn while she examined the items on the table, picking them up one by one.

Though she was relieved to have Quinn's back facing her, Tori still felt exposed and uncomfortable in the small, quiet room.

"There's not much to tell. We've known each other since high school. Lost touch for a while and now here we are."

"Did you guys date in high school?"

A slight snicker unintentionally escaped Tori's lips. "No. He had a girlfriend back then and I was scared to death of her."

"But you liked him back then, right?" Quinn glanced back at Tori with a sly smile.

Unsure of how to answer the question, Tori simply shrugged though she knew that her silence revealed enough of the truth. With her keen understanding, Quinn immediately realized the complexity of Tori's feelings for Beck. Abandoning her search for hairspray, she took a seat next to her friend on the couch.

"Look, here's how I see it," she said in a resolute manner. "The girlfriend's out of the picture. You guys are working together on this show. _And _Beck is single and has been eyeing you for weeks now. I say you two should just get it over with and hook-up. The paparazzi would have a field day."

"You make it sound so easy, Quinn," Tori groaned, rolling her eyes.

"It _is _that easy, Vega," Quinn said with a knowing smile. "Beck's a great guy. What are you so afraid of?"

_Good question, _Tori thought as her gaze dropped to floor in troubled uncertainty.

* * *

The next day, Cat invited Tori, Beck and Andre out to lunch at a café that she was being cheerfully secretive about. "You guys are in for a treat" was the only thing she had disclosed when Tori last spoke to her on the phone. So naturally the others couldn't help but be slightly apprehensive about the planned outing. After all, Cat was…well _Cat._

Tori had offered to give Beck a ride this time since he was on the way to their destination. Though Quinn's conversation from yesterday was still fresh on her mind, she brushed it aside with a blithe façade, determined to keep the mood in the car light and friendly. Soon enough, the congested metropolitan streets gave way to a modest two-lane road lined with quaint little shops and offices. After Beck spotted Cat and Andre standing by a street corner, Tori parked right along the sidewalk nearby. They got out of the car and then walked over to join their friends.

"I feel like we haven't seen you guys in forever," Andre said as the four of them exchanged hugs and handshakes.

"I know, I know," Tori said with an apologetic smile. "We've been _so_ busy with filming lately."

Beck nodded. "Yeah, the schedule's been brutal. But we're all here now."

"Just in time too 'cause I'm starving," Tori said, placing a hand on her growling stomach. "I only had an apple this morning."

"Yay!" Cat exclaimed as he red ponytail bounced in eager excitement. "Then you guys are going to love the place we're going to!"

"So where exactly is this place, Cat?" Andre asked.

With a bright smile and sparkling eyes, Cat pointed to the sign behind her that read _Cereality: Cereal Bar & Café. _The others craned their necks upwards and read the sign with confused expressions.

"We're having lunch at a cereal bar?" asked Tori, sounding slightly underwhelmed.

"Isn't it great?" Cat said airily. "We get to eat breakfast for lunch!"

And before anyone could protest, Cat was already making her way inside the café. The others exchanged uncertain glances before ultimately deciding to follow Cat in. The café operated very much like a frozen yogurt store and featured white cupboards and dispensers filled with popular brands of cereal. Along the counter by the cash register was a wide assortment of toppings, ranging from candy to fresh fruits, and nearby were stacks of white take-out boxes with _Cereality _logo.

"Wow," gasped Tori as she scanned the menu above the counter. "Who knew you could do so many different things with cereal."

Cat giggled. "Last week, I mixed pop rocks with Fruit Loops. It felt like fireworks in my mouth!"

"I think I'm gonna try something a little less saturated in sugar," Andre said, looking at some of the original creations on the menu.

After a few minutes of brainstorming and decision-making, Tori and her friends placed their orders and then gathered on the couches in the back corner of the café. Beck was the last one to pay for his order, and while he was doing so, the cashier recognized him from one of his earlier shows and eagerly asked for his autograph. The others watched in amusement as Beck tried to kindly dismiss the cashier's flirtatious advances.

"It's a good thing we're the only ones here right now," Tori scoffed. "Or else we'd never get him back."

"Is that jealously I hear?" Andre teased, playfully winking at Tori.

Before she could get a chance to argue, Beck had escaped the clutches of his adoring fan and joined the others, taking the vacant seat next to Tori.

"You're so popular Beck!" exclaimed Cat.

Andre swallowed a spoonful of cereal and then chuckled. "I guess not much has changed since high school, huh?"

"Except this time, I can't really use 'I have a girlfriend' as an excuse anymore," joked Beck.

In spite of the years that they had spent apart, it felt like no time had passed among Tori and her friends. They soon began reminiscing about the "good ol' days" in Hollywood Arts when they were still aspiring actors and singers and they laughed at memories of Sikowitz's class. After some time, the conversation took a more current turn as they shared in the recent happenings in their lives. Cat was interning with a fashion company involved with the costume design for many award-winning films. Meanwhile Andre was in the middle of recording a demo and starting a record label with his uncle. All in all, it seemed like everyone was following the career path they were ultimately meant to follow.

"So what about you guys?" asked Andre as he finished off the last of his cereal.

"Yeah, how was your date with Dani Royce?" chimed in Cat. "It was all over the news the other night."

Tori pretended to suddenly be interested in her empty bowl of cereal as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Sensing the subtle tension that had suddenly settled between him and Tori, Beck ran his hand through his hair and gave a nervous chuckle.

"It wasn't really a date," he explained. "My agent set it up with her agent and it was kind of too late for me to say no."

Just then, Tori and her friends heard the muffled sound of people chattering. They looked outside and noticed a small eager crowd beginning to gather and look through the glass windows. Instantly, they knew that their doe-eyed cashier must've shared the news of her exciting encounter with Beck with the whole cyber world.

"Uh-oh," Tori said, eyeing the cashier who was trying to look innocent and ignoring the crowd. "I think our cover's blown."

"Yeah, we'd better get out of here before we get mauled by a horde fangirls," suggested Andre.

As Tori and her friends were getting ready to leave, a young man around their age entered the café. He stared at the group of gaping girls outside in slight bewilderment before making his way to the counter. As soon as he and Tori crossed paths, they came to an immediate halt and gazed at each other in utter surprise.

"Tori?" said the young man.

"Liam?" said Tori, blinking a couple of times in disbelief.

Of the millions of people she could have ran into in a small shopping district right outside of downtown L.A., it _had _to be her ex-boyfriend Liam Wright. The universe had a cruel sense of humor sometimes, and today Tori found herself to be the butt of the joke. All she could do was look back helplessly at her friends, who had also recognized the young man standing in front of her. Just one look into Tori's eyes and Beck knew right away that Liam was going to cause an even bigger rift between them.

* * *

_So if any of you haven't been to Cereality, it's actually a real place. I haven't been there myself, but I saw it on a Travel Channel special once, lol. Anyway, please don't forget to leave a review! I love hearing your thoughts :-)._


	6. Chapter Six: Sealed with a Kiss

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from _Victorious_.

_Here's the new chapter as promised! Thank you so much for being patient everyone. I hope you all enjoy this. Happy reading!_

* * *

**Chapter Six: Sealed with a Kiss**

It turned out that Liam had been sent over by his modeling agency from New York City and was going to be in town for the next week. He had been booked to do a photo shoot for a six-page spread with a popular fashion magazine and to model the latest fall collection in an L.A. fashion show. And as hard as she tried, Tori just couldn't help feeling weak-kneed whenever he looked her way. She loathed herself for it. She was supposed to be over him! It was hard to believe that after all this time Liam still had a mesmerizing effect over her.

He wasn't making it easy for her to avoid him either. He had started texting her again, and had even paid Tori a couple of visits on set during his free time. Though a part of Tori secretly relished the attention from Liam, she kept her guard up. It was as if his untimely visit had ripped the bandage off a wound that hadn't fully healed. And to make matters worse, Beck was now in the picture; Tori still didn't know what to make of her feelings for him. The only thing she was sure of was the growing rift in her already delicate friendship with Beck, and she knew that having Liam around was just making it worse.

It was a bright and breezy afternoon when three cars pulled into the sandy parking lot near the beach. Quinn was keenly aware of the friction that had been building between her two co-stars, and had suggested to have a beach day in hopes of relieving some of the tension. To everyone's chagrin, however, Quinn's attractive though often oblivious boyfriend, Zac, decided to turn the beach day into a couples' outing by inviting Liam and Dani.

Tori watched from the corner of her eyes while Beck opened the car door for Dani, who wore a violet-colored bikini with an orange sarong that went halfway down her toned, lean thighs. With a heavy sigh, Tori helped Liam grab some things out of the trunk and tried to ignore the sound of Beck and Dani's laughter nearby.

"Well, here we are," Quinn announced as soon as they found a nice spot to settle on. "The water looks great!"

On a cloudless day like this one, the water glittered like a sea of crystals. A cool breeze blew through the air while waves splashed onshore in a gentle rhythm. Tori's personal style was usually on the modest side; but today, she decided to take a risk by sporting a tasteful mint green bikini that Trina had given her for her birthday. Her bold decision did not go unnoticed once she stepped out of her jean shorts and unbuttoned her blouse. Beck could hardly tear his gaze away from her slender body and soft curves. However, he wasn't the only one staring.

"Wow, Tor," said Liam as he studied her from head to toe. "You look amazing."

"Thanks, Liam," Tori said, smiling with playful allure.

"Hey, Beck," Dani called, flipping her long silky hair over one shoulder. "Could you please put some sunscreen on my back?"

Beck darted his eyes away from Tori's body, grateful for the distraction from his growing frustration. He hesitantly grabbed the bottle and proceeded to rub some sunscreen in slow, deliberate circles on Dani's bare back. Tori didn't usually consider herself the jealous type, but this was enough to send her into a spiral of raw envy. Unable to bear witness to the aggravating scene any longer, she turned to Liam and grabbed his arm.

"C'mon Liam," Tori said, tugging him towards the shore. "Let's go for a walk."

With Beck and Dani out of sight, Tori found it easier to focus her attention on Liam. Although, she started to wonder if being alone with him was really the best idea. He was being particularly charming as they walked along the shore, which was making the butterflies in her stomach flutter nervously. It was obvious what he was trying to do, but Tori wasn't going to allow herself to fall for him so easily.

"So how do you like your new role on the show?" Liam asked, breaking her from her thoughts.

"It's great," Tori replied. "I really like my character. She's a lot more laidback and adventurous than I am. I was lucky to get the part."

Liam chuckled. "I don't think luck had anything to do with it, Tor. You got that part 'cause you're a good actress. I always knew you could do it."

Tori faltered at his words, unable to believe what she was hearing. Part of the reason why they had broken up in the first place was because Liam had barely given her any support or encouragement in pursuing her dreams. And now here was singing a different tune! Deciding to keep the peace and not bring up the past, Tori remained thoughtfully quiet and turned her eyes towards the vast ocean instead.

By the time Tori and Liam rejoined the group, the others were already getting ready to play a game of volleyball.

"You guys wanna join us?" Zac asked, dribbling the ball between his hands. "We're just about to pick teams."

"Yeah, sure," Liam said. "This'll be fun."

"In that case, I want Tori and Beck on my team!" blurted out Quinn, hoping to avoid a vicious battle between her two co-stars by keeping them on the same side.

Beck gave a small shrug. "Fine by me," he uttered indifferently. "Tori?"

Without looking at Beck, she replied, "Works for me."

The teams went to their respective sides and the game commenced with Zac making the first attack. For a while, the game was mostly tame with just a hint of friendly competition. But it soon took an unexpected turn when Dani spiked the ball into the other team's court. Caught off guard, Tori dove for the ball but ended up missing it, and scuffing her knees in the sand from the fall.

"Tori, are you okay?" Quinn called from her corner of the court.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Tori as she hastily stood up and brushed the sand off her legs. The embarrassment on her face was as clear as day.

"Damn," Zac said in a tone of surprise. "Where'd you learn to hit like that?"

"Sorry Tori," said Dani. "Old habit from when I used to be on the varsity team in high school."

"Impressive," Beck said with a boyish smile.

In that instant, the heated combination of embarrassment and jealously had Tori seeing red. Her blood was boiling for redemption as she grabbed the ball and positioned herself for an attack. Tori tossed the ball into the air and spiked it with the palm of her hand. The ball whizzed to the other court in a yellow blur that – unfortunately for Tori – Dani was able to skillfully counter. The game suddenly assumed a more competitive air as the ball volleyed back and forth between the two girls. The others watched on, unsure of whether to intervene.

Just then, Dani attacked the ball with one powerful underhand strike, launching it high into the air. Tori immediately glanced up to find the ball only to have her vision blocked by the radiant rays of the sun.

"Tori look out!" Beck called.

It was the last thing she heard before she felt a large mass slam into her face, knocking her to the ground and ending the game.

* * *

That night, Tori tossed and turned in bed, unable to erase the day's embarrassing incident from her mind. The hit had resulted in a minor nosebleed – an injury that could've been avoided if she hadn't felt the intense need to vie for Beck's attention. Tori's frustration towards Beck seemed unyielding. She was angry at him and she didn't know why and it was driving her crazy. After several minutes of staring at the ceiling of her darkened room, she came to a decision. In a matter of seconds, Tori hopped out of bed, grabbed her keys and a hoodie, and rapidly made her way out the door into the cool night air.

Tori soon arrived at a large condo building and took the elevator up to the tenth floor to Beck's unit. With firm resolve and adrenaline coursing through her veins, Tori didn't even stop to take a breath before pounding loudly on Beck's front door. After a minute or two, she heard the _click _the lock and the door swung open to reveal Beck.

"Tori?" he said, squinting at her in groggy confusion. "What are you doing here? It's almost midnight."

She crossed her arms over her chest and said, "Can I talk to you?"

From the tone of her voice, Beck suspected that he had no choice in the matter and moved aside to let her in. He led her to the living room and gestured for her to take a seat on the couch, but Tori remained standing. During the drive over, she had prepared a particularly angry spiel to unleash on Beck once she got to his apartment. But now, seeing him face-to-face, her resolve seemed to waver.

"What's wrong, Tori?" Beck asked, sensing her reluctance. "Is there something you wanna talk about?"

Tori swallowed hard as she turned her back to Beck. "What's the story with you and Dani?"

Beck blinked, taken aback by the question. "Nothing. We're just friends."

"Oh really?" Tori scoffed. "It didn't seem that way today on the beach when you guys–"

"Wait a second," Beck said, holding up his hand in defense. "What does it matter to you what I'm doing with Dani. Don't you have your own business to take care of with your ex-boyfriend?"

"Liam and I are just hanging out and catching up. _Nothing _is going on between us."

"Yeah, okay." Beck's voice was dripping with scornful sarcasm. "Like you haven't noticed the way he looks at you and how he's always flirting with you."

"At least he's not afraid to show me how he feels!"

By now, Tori was trembling from the mix of emotions surging through her body but she fought hard to maintain her composure. Beck stared at her hard as he felt his own anger began to rise from Tori's biting words.

"You think I'm afraid to show you how I feel?" Beck asked in a tone of disbelief. "I'm sure I made my feelings pretty clear that night we almost kissed."

"_Almost, _Beck," Tori snapped. "That's the problem! It's never a sure thing with the two of us!"

"Because we never give ourselves the chance to make it a sure thing!" Beck took an earnest step towards Tori. "I want that chance, Tor. Don't you want it too?"

"You had that chance, Beck." Tori's voice quivered as she tried to hold back the tears that threatened to overflow from her eyes. "But we both know who you chose in the end."

"You didn't exactly give me much of a choice, Tori. You wanted to be a good friend to Jade, remember? I tried to respect that."

"Oh so it's all my fault?" exclaimed Tori with a hint of anger in her voice.

"I didn't say that," said Beck, as his brow knitted in frustration.

A tense silence quickly enveloped the room as both of their minds flashed back to the night of their "opposite date" in high school. It was an evening that Tori and Beck always looked back on it with fond humor. But the memory was also bittersweet. Beck had also seen a whole new side to Jade that night – a side that had made him start to question just how much he missed having her in his life. Once Tori had seen the way he had looked at Jade, she instantly knew that whatever chance she might have had with Beck was gone.

"Look, it's different now. Jade and I aren't together anymore," Beck said in an even tone.

"It doesn't have to be Jade, Beck," Tori said as she ran her hand through her hair in exasperation. "It can be any other girl. The point is I don't want to get hurt again! I don't want to be the second choice!"

And there it was: the truth behind Tori's anger. Beck simply stared at her with eyes filled with regret, unsure of what to say. The silence in the room was suffocating. Tori took a deep breath before shaking her head in defeat and darting towards the door.

"Forget it," she said, trying to avoid his gaze. "I should go. I'm sorry I–"

Just as Tori brushed past him, Beck swiftly grabbed her arm. Before Tori could process what was happening, Beck pressed his lips hard against hers in a passionate kiss. Tori was momentarily overcome with shock before she gradually eased into his embrace. Beck wrapped his arms around her waist as she ran her hands over his bare chest and through his hair. Their kisses were fervent, marked with a hungry desire that had been suppressed for too long. At length, Tori broke the kiss to catch her breath and she glanced up at Beck in a daze.

"Look, I know I messed up before," Beck said breathlessly. "But I'm not going to make that mistake again. I want to be with you. What do you say, Tor?"

* * *

_Ooo...cliffhanger lol. As if we don't already know what she's going to do ;-). Anyway, please be kind and take a few moments to write a review. I'd love to hear your thoughts!_


	7. Chapter Seven: The Decision

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from _Victorious_.

_Oh my gosh, it's been ages! I'm SO sorry for those of you who have been dying for an update. I've been incredibly busy these past few months. But thank you to all the readers who have stuck by me and wrote those kind reviews. It's always a pleasure. _

_The good news is I'm back with a new chapter for the new year! So I hope you guys enjoy it! Happy reading!_

**Chapter Seven: The Decision **

"Tori?"

Tori blinked away from her thoughts and found herself sitting on the couch in Liam's hotel room. They had just returned from an upscale L.A. fashion show that featured upcoming fall fashion by the highly reputable designer, Jean Bonabe. It was a huge step in Liam's modeling career and after an exciting evening, he insisted on having Tori accompany him and his friends from the agency for a night out on the town to celebrate. Unfortunately, she had other plans.

Throughout the evening, Tori's mind kept wandering elsewhere. Beck's fervent kiss was still fresh on her lips; the smell of his musky cologne still lingered on her nose. The sensation that surged through her from Beck's embrace last night dispelled any doubts she had had about being with him. She _wanted _to be with him, and he wanted to be with her, and that was the simple truth. Now it was just a matter of tying up some loose ends and achieving a sense of closure with Liam. Tori hated having to do this on such a remarkable evening, but Liam would be leaving for New York City early the next morning. She knew it had to be done.

"Are you sure you don't wanna come tonight?" he asked as he rolled up the sleeves on his gray pinstripe dress-shirt.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I appreciate the invite, but I had already made some plans with a friend."

Tori bit her lip nervously. She wasn't lying; she and Beck had in fact made plans to meet up later that evening before Liam had invited her out. She watched as Liam sat down beside her with an amused smile upon his face.

"Check this out," he said, handing her his phone. "New travels fast around here."

On the screen was a post from a popular Hollywood gossip site. It featured a photo of Tori and Liam arriving at the fashion show just a few hours earlier with a bold headline that read "New Couple on the Block?" Before she knew it, he had taken her hands in his and he gazed at her tenderly.

"Thanks for coming out tonight, Tor. It really meant a lot."

She took in a deep breath. It was now or never.

"Listen, Liam–"

"I've got some big news actually," he interrupted. "I found out this morning that my manager wants to send me to Paris next month for a photo shoot with a high-fashion magazine."

"That's great," Tori said with a small smile, beginning to feel uncomfortable about the fact that Liam was still holding her hands.

"Well, I was talking to Zac at the beach the other day and he said you guys were going to finish filming by the end of this month." He paused thoughtfully as if trying to decide the best way to word his next sentence. "And…I guess I wanted to ask if you'd like to come to Paris with me next month. I know it was always something we both dreamed of doing."

Shocked by Liam's proposal, Tori pulled her hands away and swallowed hard.

"Liam, I…you know I've always wanted to go to Paris."

He smiled. "I know. And I think it'd be fun to go together. That's why I've already talked it out with your agent and producers, and they seemed okay with the plan."

Tori faltered. Was she hearing him right?

"Wait, what? You already talked to Pauline and the producers?"

"Well yeah, I wanted to surprise you with this trip."

"Surprising me is one thing. But going behind my back and planning out my life for me is a whole 'nother story!"

Tori could feel the anger welling up inside her as all of the reasons why she and Liam ended their relationship suddenly hit her with the force of a freight train.

"Did you even try to figure out if I had my own plans next month?" Tori continued. "Trina's _wedding _is next month."

Liam's eyebrows knitted in slight frustration as he was taken aback by Tori's reaction.

"Alright, calm down," he said, holding up his hands defensively. "That's why they're just called _plans, _Tor. Nothing's written in stone yet. You're overreacting."

"That's not the point, Liam," she argued back. "The point is you're still making plans for me and assuming everything will just work out. When we were together all you ever did was dictate my life."

Liam frowned. "So what are you saying? Do you wanna come with me or not?"

Tori heaved a heavy sigh and then looked Liam straight in the eyes, convinced more than ever that her final answer would be the best thing for her in the end.

* * *

The night air was cool against Beck's skin as he leaned over the wooden railing and gazed at the ocean waves pass by. Overhead, blue-gray clouds partly obscured the moon's silvery light as it reflected in the water, making it look like a shimmering sea of crystals. Beck pulled out his phone to check the time. It was 9:30 on the dot. He and Tori had agreed to meet at the pier at 9:00. Not having received a call or even a text, Beck couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive about Tori having gone to Liam's fashion show tonight. What if she changed her mind and decided that she wanted to be with Liam after all?

All of a sudden, he heard the sound of footsteps coming up behind him. Beck turned around to see Tori walking down the pier, wearing a flowy coral dress. She wore turquoise jewelry to accent the dress, and her hair was styled into a loose bun that sat at the nape of her neck.

"Hey, you," she said as her eyes sparkled beautifully in the moonlight.

"Hey," Beck replied, gently caressing her arms. "I'm glad you made it."

"Worried I wouldn't show up?" she teased.

He smiled knowingly. "Not really."

A contented stillness followed as the two gazed into each other's eyes, enjoying the moment they were sharing. Beck was the first to break the silence.

"So how'd it go with Liam?" he asked tentatively.

"Good," Tori replied with a slightly rueful smile. "I think we both realized that we're just…different people."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She then stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Besides…there's someone else in my life now and I'd really like to give him a chance. I think he's worth it."

Beck smirked. "Oh really? I wonder who the lucky guy is."

Without another word, he dipped his head and caught her lips in a gentle kiss. Though the kiss was tender and tame compared to last night's fervent embrace, the impression it left was still the same. Tori and Beck pulled away, both breathless and fueled with keen desire.

"Not bad for our second kiss," said Tori.

"Well you know third one's always the charm," Beck said before pulling her in for another kiss; this one with a little more eagerness than the last.

When at last they pulled away, Beck rested his forehead against Tori's and gave a small laugh.

"I could get addicted to those."

Eventually, the two began to make their way down the pier, towards a quiet little bayside restaurant where Beck had made reservations.

"You'll love this place, Tor," he said. "They've got the best New England clam chowder in town."

Just then, Tori came to an abrupt halt, taking Beck by surprise. He looked back at her and on her face was an expression he couldn't quite decipher.

"What's wrong?"

"I just…" she hesitated. "It still feels like a dream to me. I just can't believe we're actually doing this."

"What? Eating the best clam chowder in town?" Beck joked.

Tori rolled her eyes and lightly hit his arm. "You know what I mean."

He smiled lovingly. "I do know what you mean. And I feel the same way."

He gently cupped Tori's face in his hands.

"I'm just really happy that we're giving ourselves this chance because I think you're amazing, Tor."

"You're pretty awesome yourself, Beck," Tori quietly replied, referencing back to one of their old high school inside jokes.

"Now come on," Beck said, wrapping his arm around her waist. "That chowder isn't going to eat itself."

And with that, Tori and Beck made their way into the restaurant for a very first and very real romantic dinner for two.

* * *

_Well there it is. Stay tuned guys! I'll try my best to update when I can. Please review! _


	8. Chapter Eight: Perfect Timing

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from _Victorious_.

_Hello, hello! It's been waaay too long! For a while, I had gotten so busy with other things that I didn't really have any plans to write a new chapter for a while. But I was finally able to find a little bit of time and inspiration and managed to crank out this chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it!_

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Perfect Timing**

It was the final day of filming the last episode of _On the Bright Side_. In time, the eleven episodes that had been filmed would go through production, while the cast would be busy doing interviews and appearances to promote the new television series. Needless to say that the entire cast and crew were excited to see all their hard work come together and hopefully pay off. On this particular day, everyone in the studio was attentively quiet as the camera man focused in on the couple on set, who was in the middle of completing their final take of their final scene.

"So…what exactly are you saying?" Beck asked as he slowly approached Quinn.

Quinn shot up from her place on the couch and dropped her arms in exasperation.

"I don't know!" she sighed. "I just feel like we owe it to ourselves to figure this thing out between us."

"Riley, you were the one who wanted to break things off, remember?"

"Well I wanna un-break it!"

By now the two actors were face-to-face, only inches apart. There was a brief moment of suspense before Beck and Quinn pulled each other into a passionate kiss. Tori held her breath while she watched from behind the camera crew. Logically, she knew that Quinn was no threat to her budding relationship with Beck; yet somehow scenes like these always seemed to tense her up. After all, with Beck's celebrity status growing, he was never short of female admirers who were constantly throwing themselves at him, trying to catch his attention.

Tori's gaze wandered over to her fellow co-star, Zac, who was also watching the scene play out. He appeared so calm and unfazed – so unlike her – that Tori had to wonder how he managed to keep the green monsters of envy at bay in his relationship with Quinn. Before Tori could figure out how to approach Zac with her dilemma the director's voice called "Cut!" and the once quiet room came alive again with movement and chatter.

"That's a wrap folks! Great job everyone!" the director said, as he approached Beck and Quinn to congratulate them on a job well done.

In the meantime, Tori made her away over to Zac who was scrutinizing the assortment of complementary snacks that was set up at a back table nearby.

"Hey, Tor," said Zac. He held out a shiny red apple. "Hungry?"

"No, thanks," she politely declined. "I'm trying to work up an appetite for tonight. Beck's taking me out to dinner.

"That's right." Zac grinned and playfully nudged her shoulder. "You've got a boy-toy to do that kind of stuff with now."

Tori's face turned as red as the apple. Sometimes, she still found it hard to believe that Beck was her boyfriend. In fact, she still found herself stumbling to find the right words during interviews when people asked about her relationship with Beck, as if she still wasn't able to own up to it. But she quickly brushed her embarrassment aside and took on a more serious demeanor.

"So how do you do it?" Tori asked as casually as she could.

"Do what?"

Tori gestured over to Beck and Quinn. "Sit through scenes like that."

Zac gave an empathetic smile, suddenly realizing what his co-star was trying to get at.

With a slight shrug, he shifted his eyes to Quinn and replied, "I just tell myself that no matter what, I'm the lucky guy she goes home with at the end of the day."

* * *

In the three weeks since they had started dating, they had been quite reserved in terms of physical intimacy. Tori had wanted to take things slow before fully committing herself to Beck, and Beck didn't want to force Tori into something she wasn't ready for. But tonight was different. During dinner, Beck could tell she was anxious and preoccupied about something. She tried to hide it, but he knew better. Before he could ask her what was on her mind, the waiter came by with a dessert menu. Tori politely declined the offer and told Beck she had something else in mind for dessert; in her eyes was somewhat of a mischievous glint. His interest was instantly piqued.

The drive was pensively quiet as Tori thought about Zac's advice in the studio earlier that day. Upon arriving at Beck's place, they soon found themselves falling into his bed in a passionate embrace. They kissed each other hard and eagerly, stopping only for mere seconds to take a breath. With Beck's shirt having been abandoned in the living room, Tori ran her hands all over his lean sculpted chest. After some time, Beck left Tori's soft lips and began to mark a trail of hot kisses down her neck. His strong, sensuous hands explored her body through her clothes, making her sigh and moan in pleasure. As Beck lay on top of her she could feel the slight bulge in his pants rubbing up against her inner thigh, which caused her body to ignite with desire.

It was only a matter of time until Tori realized that Beck had unzipped the back of her dress and had reached into her panties to caress her buttocks. Dizzy with pleasure, Tori managed to urge Beck onto his back as she climbed on top of him and left a long lingering kiss on his lips. The air around them was hot and heavy, and they were both panting for air by the time they pulled away and gazed deeply into each other's eyes. Beck then reached up and slowly slipped Tori's dress off her arms, exposing the blue lace bra that cupped her soft ample breasts. Her long brown hair was tousled and fell in wavy locks around her face. Her skin glistened in the moonlight that shown through the window. Everything about her at that moment left him breathless.

"You're so beautiful, Tori," Beck quietly said.

A gentle smile spread over her face as she bent down and caught his lips in another kiss. But before the kiss could intensify, Beck mustered up enough resistance to pull away and look at his girlfriend with a hint of doubt.

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

Tori faltered, taken aback by Beck's question. "I-I thought this is what you wanted."

"I'm not saying I don't want it," he explained. "It's just that a couple of weeks ago I thought we agreed to take things slow, and now all of a sudden we're in my bed half naked. I just wanna make sure this is really what _you _want."

Suddenly feeling stupid and exposed, Tori hastily slipped her dress back on and pulled away from Beck in slight humiliation. She had to admit he was right. She had an ulterior motive behind her unexpected actions tonight. She wanted Beck badly but not like this, not because she wanted to prove her insecurities about their relationship wrong.

"Hey, what's on your mind?" Beck asked, breaking her from her thoughts.

Before Tori could answer, the sound of Beck's ringtone filled the dark room. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone to check the name on the screen; the blue light from the phone illuminated his face.

"It's Jade," Beck said with a hint of surprise in his voice. It had been months since he last heard from her.

Tori flashed an alarmed look over at Beck as he answered the call. Without a doubt Jade had recently learned of their relationship from all the public attention it's gotten. Since she and Beck got together, Tori always felt a deep-seated fear that her old high school frenemy would show up ready with pair of menacingly sharp scissors for such an act of betrayal.

"Hey Jade," Beck casually greeted. "It's been a while."

Tori sat on the edge of the bed and, feeling more naked than ever, clumsily tried to zip up her dress.

"I'm good. I'm actually with Tori right now. We just got back from dinner."

At the mention of her name, Tori spun towards Beck and flailed her hands in the air, trying to dissuade him from bringing her up in the conversation.

Beck quietly chuckled in amusement. He then took Tori's hands and kissed them, which surprisingly seemed to calm her down.

"Uh…she just went to the bathroom." There was a slight pause before Beck gave a slight snicker. "No, of course not. Why would she be scared to talk to you?"

By now Tori had inched closer to try and listen in on the conversation, but all she could hear were Jade's indistinct mumblings on the other line.

"Oh, you're having a concert tomorrow night?" Beck said, shooting Tori a knowing glance. "Yeah, we're not doing anything tomorrow. Where is it and what time?"

Tori waited patiently for Beck to finish the phone call. From what she could gather, Jade was in town with her band for a concert, and was trying to get in touch with the old gang to invite them to the show. After getting off the phone, Beck turned to Tori with an amused expression.

"That wasn't as painful as I thought it was gonna be," he joked.

Tori rolled her eyes. "Easy for you to say."

"So I guess we're having a reunion with everyone tomorrow night."

"Perfect timing since Robbie's back from studying abroad in London," Tori said.

Beck glanced over at Tori then and gave her a gentle smile. "What about this, Tor? Is it perfect timing for us tonight?"

And there it was: the question that Tori didn't quite know how to answer. Sensing her hesitation, Beck wrapped a comforting arm around her and placed a tender kiss on her temple.

"You know I'm not looking for a hook-up, right?" he whispered into her ear.

"I know…" she quietly replied.

Decisions bounced in her mind like a ping-pong ball between two paddles.

Finally, in a defeated tone, she said, "Maybe we can take a rain check for tonight."

Beck could tell she was struggling with something and he had a good hunch about what it might be, but he chose not to push the issue any further, knowing that Tori would come to him when she was ready to talk about it. Instead he nodded and kissed her once more on her temple before standing up to grab a shirt from his dresser.

"I don't mind taking the couch tonight if you need a little space," he said.

Tori considered this for a moment. Truthfully, she wanted Beck to be by her side tonight but she knew that it would be unfair of her to ask.

So, an apologetic smile, Tori replied, "Yeah, I think some space would be good for now."

"Alright, I'll see you in the morning then. Sweet dreams, Tor."

And with that, Beck left the room and closed the door behind him. Frustrated and confused, Tori fell back on the bed and covered her face with her hands. She felt worse than ever about the emotional ordeal she was going through, yet she couldn't even begin to put her feelings into words. To make matters worse, she was going to have to face Jade tomorrow and there would be no hiding from her at that point. There would be no hiding from that fact that she was in a relationship with her friend's ex-boyfriend. Already, Tori knew her dreams tonight were going to be anything but sweet.

* * *

_I would love to hear your thoughts on the story! Feel free to leave a review! Thank you!_


	9. Chapter Nine: The Ex Factor

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from _Victorious_.

_So I'm happy to say that I was able to crank out another new chapter for you guys to enjoy. It was really nice to hear all of your thoughts and kind words about the story, so thank you so much for sharing them! Happy reading!_

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Ex Factor**

Jade West sat before the vanity and applied a deep red color to her lips. Bustling footsteps and eager chatter filled the hallway outside the dressing room as Jade checked the time on her pear phone. It was 6:30 on the dot. In about half an hour the limelight would be hers. Nevermore's growing popularity meant greater demands and more bookings. At one point in her life, Jade would've gladly welcomed all the praise and attention. However, these days she found herself missing the more intimate walls of the coffeehouses she used to perform at before being discovered. Suddenly, she heard knocking and looked up to see the reflection of a lanky young man in the mirror.

"What is it, Sinjin?" she asked without turning around.

"Just wanted to let you know that Tori and Beck are here to see you," he replied as he fidgeted with the bulky headphones around his neck.

Jade made eye contact with Sinjin's reflection in the mirror and said, "Tell them to come back."

With an affirmative nod, Sinjin disappeared from the doorway and returned a few minutes later with Tori and Beck in tow. He gestured them into the room and took a quick glance at his clipboard before stepping out.

"Twenty-five minutes to curtain," he reminded Jade before rejoining the commotion in the hallway.

Jade got up from her place at the vanity only to be met with a pair of incredulous looks from her two friends.

"You actually have _Sinjin _working for you?" Tori asked with slight amusement.

"Yup," the dark-haired girl replied. "Hired him as my sound-tech guy."

Beck smirked. "Does the job pay well?"

"Well it promises a nice warm bed to sleep in and fresh water in his bowl every morning, so I'd say it's a pretty good deal."

Beck gave a light chuckle then reached over to give her a hug. He was happy to see that her biting sarcasm hadn't run dry after all this time.

"It's good to see you," he said.

"It's good to see you too," Jade said with a sincere smile. "Even you, Vega."

Tori's stomach twisted in knots when Jade's gaze shifted on her. Jade had clearly matured over the years, but there were still traces of that inner goth-girl in her judging from the tattoos on her arms and her preference for black clothing. And if there was one thing that definitely hadn't changed, it was Jade's cold steely gaze, which was now being directed at Tori. The brunette tried to mask her unease, but only managed to let a nervous laugh escape from her lips.

Tori cleared her throat and sputtered, "So it was really nice of you to invite us to your concert."

"Don't mention it," said Jade, shrugging nonchalantly. "It's not even really a concert. The club owner just wanted to put on a private show for a hundred of his 'closest' friends. Anyway, my drummer had connections and hooked us up with this gig."

"That's awesome," Tori said, wracking her mind for some way to diffuse the awkwardness of their current situation.

"How long are you gonna be in town for?" Beck asked, sensing his girlfriend's hesitation.

"Just a couple of days. I thought it'd be a good idea to get in touch with everyone and do a little catching up."

She smiled knowingly at the couple, as if waiting for one of them to make the first move in acknowledging the obvious elephant in the room. But before Tori could say anything, Jade grabbed her phone to check the time.

"I'd better get on stage," she said as she took one last glance at the mirror before heading towards the door. "There's going to be an after-party at my band's hotel suite after the show. It's nothing big. Just some close friends and couple of people from our record label. Let the others know when you see them."

After bidding Jade good luck, the three of them went their separate ways. Tori and Beck in one direction, and Jade in the other. As they were making their way down the hall, Tori glanced back at her friend whose jet-black hair bounced lightly on her shoulders as she headed towards the stage. Much to Tori's surprise, Jade glanced back as well. Their eyes locked instantly. Caught off guard, Tori just gave a tight-lipped grin. Though Jade returned the smile, Tori knew that the night was still young and there were still things that needed to be said. She was determined to hash things out no matter how hard it was going to be. She owed Jade that much.

* * *

The show was a phenomenal success. The seats that Jade had specifically reserved for her friends were surrounded by big-name people in the music industry and Hollywood elites, some of who even recognized Tori, Beck, and Andre from previous events and gatherings. The music set that Jade and her band, Nevermore, had prepared consisted of mainly of old and new original songs and some covers. Jade's voice was hauntingly beautiful and the band displayed great energy. Later that evening after the concert, the gang reconvened at Jade's hotel suite for the after-party. The suite nearly covered the entire span of the seventh floor and offered a breathtaking view of the cityscape below. As Jade had said, only a select number of people had been invited to the gathering. While the gang spent most of the first hour going around mingling with the other guests, Tori and Beck were careful to refrain from showing any public displays of affection. After some time, Tori and her friends found a quiet little nook near the living room for the whole gang to sit and catch up.

"Hey guys, did you see the chocolate fountain in the other room?" Cat asked; her eyes sparkled with childish delight.

Robbie trailed behind her with a small plate of fruits in one hand and a sizeable bowl of chocolate in the other. As they took a seat on the couch, Cat took the bowl of chocolate from Robbie and scooped a spoonful of hot melted chocolate into her mouth.

"Um Cat…" Tori began, with a slightly sickened look. "How many bowls of chocolate have you had?"

"This is only my second bowl!" Cat argued as a trail of chocolate dripped from her chin.

"Don't worry," Robbie said, producing a napkin from his pocket to wipe Cat's face with. "I'm making sure she stays hydrated between each bowl."

"Maybe that chocolate fountain was a bad idea in retrospect," Jade chimed in before taking a sip of her rum and coke.

Andre chuckled. "Ya think?"

As the night went on, Tori and her friends went back and forth sharing stories and jokes about anything and everything – well most of everything – that was going on in their lives. Robbie talked about his time spent studying abroad in London, and Cat raved about how she was recently offered a permanent position on the costume design team at her internship site. Andre had big plans in store for his first demo, and asked Jade if she wanted to collaborate on a song with him to which she gladly agreed. And of course, Tori and Beck shared their excitement for their sitcom's upcoming premiere. The only thing that was still left unsaid was the one thing on everyone's mind that no one knew exactly how to bring up: Tori and Beck's new relationship status.

As Tori was contemplating a way to pull Jade aside without drawing too much attention from the others, a metallic clanking sound suddenly filled the space around them. Everyone glanced at Cat, who had thrust her bowl at Robbie before shooting up from her seat.

"I almost forgot!" she exclaimed. "Bathroom time!"

"She's so cute when she forgets to use the bathroom like that," Robbie sighed with fondness.

Jade simply rolled her eyes in exasperation, while Tori and Andre exchanged uncertain glances.

"I'm just surprised that Cat managed to hold out for that long," Beck said, eyeing the six empty glasses on table that had been filled with water just minutes before.

"Well," Andre said, getting up from his seat. "I'm gonna get some more of these kabobs. Anyone want a refill?"

"I'll go with you," Beck offered, grabbing his and Tori's empty glasses.

Tori quickly realized that with most of everyone gone, this was the perfect opportunity to pull Jade aside for their talk. Just as Beck and Andre walked off, however, Sinjin approached the group and latched onto the back of Jade's chair to keep from stumbling. A goofy smile was plastered on his face, which was almost as red as the drink he held in his hand. Curiously enough, a small silver harmonica was immersed in the fruity liquid.

"Hey guys," he greeted, trying to remain steady on his feet. "Does anyone wanna see me put this harmonica in my mouth and make it disappear?"

Jade sent him a piercing glare before snatching the drink from his hand. She knew all too well that he was quite the lightweight when it came to alcoholic beverages.

"Sinjin, what did I tell you about this stupid harmonica trick?" she barked, recalling Sinjin's last disastrous antics with the instrument.

"Oh c'mon, Jade," Sinjin argued, his words slightly slurred. "Lighten up. It's just magic. There's nothing stupid 'bout magic."

"If you try pulling this damn stunt again, I'll make this harmonica disappear up your ass," she threatened, grabbing him by the shirt collar for emphasis.

At length, Tori mustered enough courage to reach out and tap Jade lightly on the shoulder.

"Uh hey, Jade," she said, her voice slightly wavering. "Do you think we could go outside and talk for a bit?"

Jade narrowed her eyes at a quivering Sinjin before finally releasing her grip and following Tori out on the balcony. From such a high altitude, a cool gust of wind blew through the balcony, nipping at the girls' skin. The faint sound of metropolitan traffic could be heard from below as the city lights flickered like stars in the distance.

"So," Jade started, crossing her arms over her chest. "What did you wanna talk about?"

"Well I…" Tori said, clearing her throat. "Um…you see–"

"Just spit it out already, Vega!"

Tori flinched and in one breath hastily blurted, "Beck and I are dating and I'm really sorry and I just hope you can understand and not shave me bald with your favorite pair of scissors."

Jade cocked an eyebrow at her winded friend and remained decisively silent. Tori stood and wrung her fingers together nervously as Jade gauged her with her piercing blue-green eyes.

After a while, Jade leaned on the railing of the balcony and asked, "Is that all?"

Taken aback by her friend's unexpected reaction, Tori shot her a curious look. "Aren't you mad?"

Jade shrugged. "Should I be?"

"I just thought since you guys have history and all that maybe you'd–"

"Tori, it's been like five years since we broke up," Jade bluntly stated. "Maybe five years ago I would've been wazzed off. But that's all water under the bridge now."

Tori could hardly believe what she was hearing. Knowing Jade, she felt convinced that there had to be a catch.

"So you're really okay with us dating?" she asked for good measure.

"Can't say I didn't see it coming."

Tori's brow knitted in confusion, prompting Jade to wonder if she was really that oblivious.

"As if you don't know," Jade said, staring at her pointedly. "I'm pretty damn sure the reason why Beck and I never worked out was 'cause there was always a part of him that wanted to be with you."

Tori blinked in surprised. "Really? So then this whole time I've been worried for nothing?"

"Yup, pretty much."

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"And miss out on the chance to torture you?" A devious smile spread over Jade's lips. "Couldn't pass that up."

"Of course," said Tori, rolling her eyes.

In spite of Jade's little mind game, Tori felt a wave of relief wash over her. It was probably the first time all week where she felt as light as a cloud, for once unburdened by any fears or doubts about her relationship with Beck. Tori almost wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. At length, she looked Jade straight in the eyes and gave a sincere smile.

"Thanks for being so cool about this."

"Just do me a favor, Vega."

"Yeah, sure. Anything."

A cool gust of wind blew dark locks of hair into Jade's face, and she simply reached up and tucked them behind her ear. She was silent for a moment, as if trying to gather her thoughts.

"For some ridiculous reason, you seem make Beck happy," she said without looking at Tori. "Either way, he chose you for a reason. Don't screw that up by doubting yourself and wondering if you'll ever be good enough for him."

It soon occurred to Tori that Jade had a good point. Beck made the choice to be with _her. _All this worrying about other women vying for his attention suddenly seemed trivial in light of this realization. After contemplating Jade's words, Tori smiled and gave a small nod. A kind of mutual understanding seemed to pass between the two girls then as Tori began to develop a newfound level of respect for her old high school friend. With the night becoming later and chillier, the Tori and Jade made their way back inside to rejoin in the festivities with their friends, both happy to resolve what was once an irresolvable rivalry.

* * *

_Your reviews do make a difference, so please take some time to write one! Thank you!_

_P.S. So as you can see, the Tori-Beck-Jade love triangle has been put to rest in this chapter, but I guarantee there are still more surprises to come! Keep a look-out for some new chapters coming your way :-). _


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